These Eerie Portraits Were All Shot ‘Inside’ Miniature Sets

Cubes is a new photo series by Hamburg, Germany-based photographer Seb Agnew that consists of 9 conceptual portraits. Here’s the twist, though: all of the locations seen in the photos are actually miniature sets.

Agnew first had the idea for this project back in 2018 when he was looking at three separate 3-story apartment buildings across from his kitchen window.

“Most of the times, curtains block the view to what happens within the walls of these privately owned apartments,” the photographer says. “Sometimes, I see lights turn on and off, a TV flicker or the silhouette of a sole person gaze through the slats of Venetian blinds.

“I cannot stop wondering: What happens inside these rooms? What do their inhabitants think and feel? And why are they, seemingly, all alone? And do they, maybe, think the same of me when they watch me watching them…?”

Agnew himself crafted each of the 9 dioramas by hand using various materials and techniques (including laser cutting and 3D printing).

The models were photographed separately, carefully matching perspective, lighting, and color) and then composited into the set photos.

Here are the 9 finished photos and short behind-the-scenes looks at how each one was made:

“‘CUBES’ examines individual and yet so stereotypical human universes,” Agnew says.

You can find more of Agnew’s work on his website and Instagram.